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Wednesday, June 9, 2010

A request is being presented to the Provincial Education Department by School District Eight to make changes to it's current make-up.

In the next five years, it would like to see a new K-5 school built in Grand Bay Westfield to consolidate Ingelwood, Grand Bay and Morna Heights.

It would also like to build an addition on Havelock to accomodate St. Patricks and Seawood students. Director of Finance and Administration Chris Toole tells CHSJ News, he feels the District has a strong case.

St. Patricks School on the West-Side was constructed in 1924 and the last new building built for the district was Fundy Shores School in 1988.

Officials in District Eight are getting set to say goodbye to another school year with a sense of accomplishment. Many new initiatives were put in place but test results are still not in. Superintendent Susan Tipper tells CHSJ News, between 800 and 1000 students will graduate from one of their four high schools in the next two and a half weeks.

Saint John High holds it ceremony on the 27th, Saint Malachys and Harbourview are on the 25th and the Simonds graduating class will receive their diplomas on the 28th.

Common Councillor Donnie Snook is worried the Village Neighbourhood Association, which comprises the Waterloo Street area, is not getting a piece of the pie. He's referring to the 150 thousand dollars the city hands out in grants each year to the five priority neighbourhoods around the town. The city points out no applications were received from anyone from the Village.Snook has also been pressing for a community police station be set up in the neighbourhood. He says it appears those neighbourhoods with community police stations appear to fare better.

If you spend time on an internet chat or date site, you will want to hear this. The New Brunswick Securities Commission has raised the red flag about an internet dating investment scheme out of Ghana. It involves worthless gold certificates and the Commission was alerted about the fraud thanks to the quick action of a bank employee. They thought something was strange recently when the person scammed tried to make a large withdrawl.Unfortunately, the heads up didn't come quick enough as the person has already lost thousands. This internet scam is very personal in nature and begins with contact by way of a dating website, a relationship develops and then someone starts asking for cash which get bigger with each request.

The Animal Legal Defense Fund has released it's annual report on animal abuse and the news is good for this Province.

The report goes over which Province or Territory has the weakest laws and New Brunswick shows the most improvement over-all.

We have moved from the bottom tier last year to fourth best in the country this time around. Alberta, the Northwest Territories, Nunavut, and Quebec are, what the report calls, the best provinces and territories in country to be an animal abuser.

This is based on a detailed comparative analysis of the animal protection laws of each jurisdiction where animal abusers get off easy. For the second year in a row, Ontario holds the top spot in the rankings due to its wide array of animal protection laws.

The Village Neighbourhood Association will have to wait another year before getting its hands on any of the 150 thousand dollars in grants the city gives each year to projects in the five vulnerable neighbourhoods classified as a priority.

Councillor Donnie Snook says the Waterloo Street area is deserving.

The city points out no applications were received from anyone from the Village.

Snook would also like to see a community police station established in the neighbourhood.

If you haven't booked you vacation yet, the first week of August might be a solid bet.

A four day music festival, Reunion 2010 will run between August.5th and the 8th with music for all to enjoy. Aaron Pritchett, Tara Oram, Wintersleep and the Stereos will headline the festival that is part of the Saint John 225 celebration this summer.The shows will also high-light some of the top talent from Greater Saint John including Jessica Rhaye, Debbie Adshade and Benjamin Marmen.

Fort LaTour and Harbour Passage will play host to the special 'Harbour Rocks!' Festival Stage on August.6th and 7th. The show includes a special anniversary fireworks show on Saturday night. Tickets are available at Imperial Theater.

The city has handed out 150 thousand dollars in grants to various projects in the most vulnerable communities around town, including Crescent Valley. The 20 to 25 year plan to transform that neighbourhood is underway and Common Councillor Peter McGuire is worried if developers don't jump on board. He maintains if, at the end of all this, the neighbourhood is made up of all public housing, then the dedevelopment will have been a failure.Deputy City Manager Andrew Beckett has expressed concern at what he sees as the low level of interest on the part of private developers thus far. Some of the grant money has been used for the publication of the community newspaper "Around the Block".

A public meeting tonight at the Lily Lake Pavilion will hear about the dangers of tanning. Saint John dermatologist, Dr. Douglas Keeling tells CHSJ News you don't have to get a sun burn to damage your skin. Just getting a tan will also do that.Dr. Keeling is a firm believer in using sun screen even if you're not laying out in the sun. He also warns tanning beds give off more ultraviolet radiation than the suns and as such are more intense. Dr.Keeling goes on to say they are classified by the World Health Organisation in the same high risk category as plutonium, asbestos, arsenic and even mustard gas. Tonight's meeting gets underway at 7:00.

A report issued today will look at how to restore and maintain the ecosystem in the Gulf of Maine. The report is being released this morning in Portland, Maine by the Chairman of the Gulf of Maine Council on the Marine Environment, Michael Walls.The Gulf of Maine and Bay of Fundy ares facing increasing pressures from sewage, agricultural and industrial runoff and climate change. Environmental groups feel this report can help reverse the decline and restore for future generations the resources that the region’s economy and quality of life depend.

A news conference is coming up on the 21st at Harbour Station with an annoucment about the Manchester Millrats of the Premier Basketball League.The Millrats have been in negotiations with the arena's management and city officials for several weeks about the possible move of the team to Saint John. The Manchester Millrats are a fourth year minor league basketball franchise and a member of the Premier Basketball League. The league has two franchises in Canada - the Quebec Kebs and the Halifax Rainmen.A Facebook page called "Saint John Millrats Pro Basketball Page" has garnered about 800 fans in less than 3 weeks. To see the team's website page go to our website at country94.ca..click news.